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Pandora
Pandora is the self-made and adoptive daughter of Hephaestus, and the tritagonist in God of War III. Greek Mythology Pandora (Πανδώρα, "All gifts") was the first woman to exist. She, and therefore the female gender, was created as punishment for Prometheus' theft of fire - Hephaestus molded her from the earth, and each god bestowed seductive gifts on her. She and her husband Epimetheus were entrusted with Pandora's Box by the Gods, either for safekeeping or a desire to punish mankind. The Box was said to contain all the evils of the world, and despite instructions not to open it Pandora's curiosity betrayed her. In an attempt to peek inside, all of the evil energies within were released, leaving behind only Hope, who decided to stay inside the box to remain with humanity. Thus, despite having innocent intentions, Pandora was blamed for all the woes of mankind. "Box" is in fact a mistranslation from the Greek word pithos, a large jar, into the Latin pyxis, a box. God of War III Created by Hephaestus, Pandora served as a key to the mythological Pandora's Box, rumoured to bring about the end of the world. After Kratos found Pandora's Box, protected by the Flames of Olympus, Athena appeared before him, informing him of Pandora's role as key, and how to gain access to the Box's contents. Whilst visiting Hephaestus one more time, the smith god revealed to Kratos that he created Pandora as a key to the Box, but grew fond of her. Consequently, he sheltered her from Zeus and instead suggested Cronos as the perfect guardian for the box, as no mortal could best a Titan. However, after Kratos used the box to defeat Ares, Zeus became fearful of the box's power and tortured Hephaestus until he revealed Pandora's location. Zeus then hid the Box in the Flames of Olympus, so that only Pandora could unseal it, and seized Pandora, preventing her from ever freeing the Box. Zeus then ordered Daedalus to construct a Labyrinth to keep Pandora imprisoned, much like he did with the Minotaur. Pandora was able to communicate with Kratos through bronze statues in her likeness, appearing from a small blue flame in the statue's hands. She appeared several times through the Ghost of Sparta's journey, asking him to free her and hinting at her location. It was within this Labyrinth that Kratos eventually found Pandora, trapped at the very core of the structure. She helped him escape the Labryinth by guiding Kratos along its cubes, and entering small grates that Kratos could not enter. On the other hand, Kratos had to save Pandora from several traps and protect her from hordes of monsters. Eventually, Kratos brought Pandora to the Flame of Olympus (destroying much of the chamber in the process). Kratos however, could not bring himself to use her to free the Box from the Flames, and tried to stop her, even though she was already willing to sacrifice herself. Zeus appeared shortly afterwards, and a fight between the Ghost of Sparta and the King of Olympus ensued. Having buried Zeus under a pile of rubble, Kratos attempted to stop Pandora rushing into the Flames by grabbing onto her hand. At that point, Zeus and Pandora both attempted to influence Kratos' decision. Zeus demanded his son not to let her go, whilst Pandora demanded otherwise. Ultimately, Kratos' hatred towards Zeus proved greater than his desire to safeguard Pandora. Kratos lashed out at Zeus, while Pandora disappeared into the flames. Having sacrificed her life to aid Kratos, Pandora succeeded in extinguishing the flames, only for Kratos to discover the box empty. Zeus, who witnessed the whole ordeal, now stood near Kratos, gloating over another one of his "failures" before fleeing outside. Despite Pandora's apparent death, her spirit lived on, appearing to Kratos as a ball of flame when he was attacked by Zeus' spirit. She was able to guide Kratos out of the chaos and darkness in which Zeus had trapped him in, eventually unlocking the power of Hope which was sealed within Kratos' own soul, to finally defeat the King of the Gods. Relationships Hephaestus Contrary to real mythology, Pandora was crafted and given the gift of life by the smith god Hephaestus. He grew fond of her, and considered Pandora his daughter, while Zeus viewed her as an unnatural abomination, often referring to her as a "thing" or "object". Fearing Zeus' wrath for having kept Pandora's existence hidden from him, Hephaestus soon turned to Kratos. A broken man, Hephaestus pleaded Kratos to save Pandora from the God-King's relentless anger. Unable to do so himself after Zeus' initial punishment, the gods' smith could not stand to lose his own child. Reluctantly, Kratos accepted, if only to retrieve the means to kill his father from the box. Over time, Kratos too saw Pandora's potential, and grew fond of her. Kratos ''"Don't confuse this...object,... this construction of Hephaestus with your own flesh and blood! But perhaps you already have, Spartan! Your quest for Pandora, your pathetic attempt for atonement from the family you slaughtered has caused nothing but havoc on Olympus! Look around at what you have done!" ''- Zeus Pandora reminded Kratos very much of his own daughter Calliope, as when Kratos first heard Pandora's voice, he mistakenly took it for that of his daughter. Even though -at first- Kratos saw her as nothing but a sheer tool in his plot for revenge, hearing Hera call Pandora "that little whore", had Kratos explode with anger and mercilessly snap her neck. Despite Kratos being bent on fulfulling his revenge, even going as far as telling Pandora she won't thank him when their journey came at an end, Kratos could not bear to sacrifice her when the time arrived, telling her he would find another way. Kratos repeatedly referred to Pandora as "child", somewhat insinuating Kratos looked upon Pandora as his actual daughter, or something close to it. He indeed realized losing Pandora would mirror losing another loved one, mainly because of Calliope's manifestation in Pandora. When confronting Zeus a second time, Zeus warned Kratos not to confuse Pandora with his own flesh and blood. Sneering it was too late, Zeus implied Kratos' quest for Pandora, and his desire for absolution over his murdered family have had the same effect on the gods. It was most likely his being reminded of his own daughter Calliope that brought forth the change of heart, as well as maybe understanding what Hephaestus had told Kratos about their own relationship, which made him see Pandora as more than just a tool, but in fact just as much a human being as Kratos himself. It is also evident that Pandora's sacrifice took a heavy burden on Kratos, though perhaps not in vain, as Pandora served as a spiritual guide in his dark mind, where he remembered her statements about hope as clear as day. Related Pages *Hephaestus *Pandora's Box *Pandora's Temple *Labyrinth *The Flames of Olympus *Hope Gallery pandora1.jpg Pandora-color Izzy.jpg Pandora.jpg Pandora.png Pandora1.png Pandora 2.png Zeus pandora.png Untitled pandora.png Pandora-turnaround.jpg Category:God of War III Category:Characters Category:Allies